05/13/2026
Lucy Socks has to live in casts because of a condition called enzootic ataxia. This happened years ago when she was a baby and is secondary to copper deficiency in her dam when she was still in the womb. It can lead to progressive hind limb paralysis. Luckily the owners brought her in and we were able to determine the cause and correct it as well as address the mineral deficiency in the herd. We want to thank Lucy Socks for all the blood she has donated over the years! Her front legs fused in the flexed position because she had been down so long and owners didn’t have time for the twice a day rehab which includes just moving the legs back and forth so she was donated and we love her. If you look closely, you will notice she is due for a cast change. (Which we did today). The point of this post is about the fact that if we hadn’t addressed the left front leg having had the cast worn through, then she could’ve ended up with a much worse, even life threatening condition from pressure sores. I am picking on ourselves but we have had several cases present in the past week way past when any kind of intervention is possible for a successful outcome. This post is a reminder that if you see one of your animals acting differently or has anything out of the normal, get it checked out by your vet. Some things are traumatic and quick and there’s nothing that could’ve been done to help no matter what time you notice. But some things are in pain, not sucking it’s dam enough, losing weight, has an intermittent lameness, had a spot in its eye, etc etc. Some things need to be seen sooner rather than later so you can give yourself and your vet a chance to have a successful outcome.
